Lake Macquarie moves into the spotlight

Lake Macquarie councillors have voted overwhelmingly to create a new suburb called Lake Macquarie as part of efforts to boost the city's profile and take it out of Newcastle's shadow.

A majority of Councillors last night agreed to apply to the Geographic Names Board to rename a section of the existing suburb Speers Point, Lake Macquarie.

It comes despite a community consultation process revealing just 67 per cent of respondents supported the move.

Labor councillors opposed the plan calling for more consultation.

ALP Councillor Kay Fraser says she is not a big supporter of the idea.

"I think we get a little bit caught up in Newcastle versus Lake Macquarie," she said.

"I'm very proud to live in Lake Macquarie, but what concerned me last night is there was a petition lodged with council.

"The gentlemen actually doorknocked 234 households and 141 residents signed the petition in opposition, so I wanted to consult more with those residents.

Lake Macquarie Mayor Greg Piper says it will be an important part of cementing the city's identity both in the local region, and further afield.

"We do need to recognise Lake Macquarie as a separate entity, whether it's locally, some differentiation with our neighbour at Newcastle," he said.

"But more importantly I think is the differentiation with Port Macquarie, and just to get recognition right around the country.

"It's a fairly constant story that people say 'Well, when I'm away I say I'm from Newcastle, because people don't know where Lake Macquarie is."

He says the new suburb would take in just over 450 homes currently within Speers Point, as well as the Council's administration building.

"It is where people would logically think it would be be, it is where most of our activity is, around Speers Point Park, there is a significant hotel at Speers Point, it starts just near there, it runs up either side of Main Road, through Speers Point up to Seventh Street which is where the local area police command is."

Councillors also approved a plan to reclassify one of the city's main arterial roads, Main Road 217, as a tourist route to be known as 'Lake Macquarie Way'.